mom'sZ

there have been many threads on this subject. Seems defective MCs are not that uncommon. But before you go tearing it out and replacing it, try adjusting the rear brake shoes. Clifton's suggestion to bleed the master is a good one as well if you never did it.

The tires are Toyo Ra1s or whatever they're called. And the suspension geometry I've got something I think is going to work OK as well. I was thinking more technique. Could you explain the old autox mantra of late apex as early as possible? I'm familiar with the term late apex from my bike days. I also noticed the track changes every time. How do you learn the new layout quickly, do you draw it out on paper? just in your head. How do you relate what it looks like walking it with how it will be at speed in a car? Maybe I'm over thinking this and once I try it it will come more natural. Also, it seemed everybody had there windows rolled down, is this to be able to hear the tires?

Well... I checked the book 'How to modify your Nissan & Datsun ohc engine' by Frank Honsowetz and it does indeed tell you to tap it out to 1/8" npt but doesn't say what the original metric thread pitch is. My tap and die set came with a thread pitch guage, maybe you could get one.

I've never autoX'ed before. I went up to Ft. Pierce where the central Florida region holds autoX's every month for the first time in March just to check it out. This past month I was to sick to go but I'm hoping to give it a try here in May. Any tips for a newb? With the new weight break I don't think that is going to be an issue. I had just heard opinions both ways and was trying to understand better.

thanks for an excellent explaination John. So... my assumption that more polar moment of inertia will make the car more driveable at the limit is correct? As in Jon Mortensen's example of the mid engine 510 being undriveable. So, the terms 'polar moment of inertia in yaw', 'polar moment' and 'yaw inertia' are basically interchangable as they pertain to this discussion? If I'm understanding this correctly, the added weight out toward the ends of the car make the control inputs required to initialize a direction change greater, but this results in a more stable ride, and greater driveability at the limit. The s30 is a 'heavy' handling car anyhow, not really suited to autoX or parking lots. Seems almost like more 'yaw inertia' kind of gives you more 'leverage' to catch the car once it begins to spin and makes the car spin 'slower' so you have more time to catch it. This sounds like a better setup for racing. When I road raced motorcycles, I didn't mind the bike sliding, just so long as it did so in a predictable manner instead of just spitting you off. In the begining I learned to go faster by using junkier tires that slid sooner then the high dollar stuff, but did so in a more predictable manner.

ed, I think (please notice I said THINK, I'm nort sure) NPTF stands for national pipe thread FINE. There is also NPTC, national pipe thread course. I believe these are the two thread pitches that NPT come in. Also, and please don't take this for gospel truth, I'm only putting this out there because nobody else seems to be biting, I'm almost positive the threads for the oil pressure sending unit are metric, not npt. I have that book, the one about building hot rod datsun L motors at home. In it the author suggests tapping out the hole to a npt size, a suggestion I'm not sure I agree with and not really an option if the motor isn't tore down. But anyhow, I think he calls out the metric size of those threads and if you want I'll look tonight and see if I can find that info. (I'm at work right now)

John: This was a great thread and I'm glad you revived it. So if I'm getting this right, for a road racing car, weight distribution is more important then polar moment of inertia. Indeed, hanging weight at the extreme ends of the car to help improve weight distribution is better then keeping it more centrally located to gain less 'polar moment' at the cost of poor weight distribution... right? for a road racing car, not autoX. In fact adding polar moment of inertia (by say hanging heavier pieces out near the ends of the car) will help make the car more stable, easier to drive at the limit and easier to catch once you've past the limit? I'm sorry for such ignorant questions. Could you (or anyone) explain the term 'polar moment of inertia' or 'polar moment' as it pertains to vehicle dynamics a little for me?

might want to check the rule book for the class and sanctioning body you intend to race in. Duct size is limited in some classes

My Konis are the 8610-1437RACE. They are made to use in sectioned strut housings but I installed them in unmodified housings with spacers underneath instead for now until I have the chance to section the housings. All of this information along with what other manuf. have available is in a sticky at the top of this forum called 'calling all racers... strut advice' or something like that. Price from shox.com was about 150 a piece. Car is almost ready for some shake down autoX runs and then on to driver's school for comp licence.

if it's the energy suspension kit, it does not include the front sway bar mounts because there are three different sizes of stock sway bars. You need to check the size of your front bar and order them separately. I think they are cheap, like fifteen bucks. Anyhow, if you need to get the car on the road, use the stock ones now and switch them later when you get them. They are easy to switch out compared to the control arm bushings for instance. The bump stops and tie rod end dust seals should have come with the kit. I used the bump stops that came with my new struts (Koni). The ones that come with the kit are shorter (by about a half inch) then the ones that came with my struts, so they would provide more suspension travel for lowered cars. They also seemed to be made of a harder material.

like cbuczesk says, at the seam you can use a flange tool to step the panel so that when one is laying on the other, they are flush. A lot of patch panels come with a stepped flange in them anyhow. Also, if ya do it just right, the welding slightly shrinks the seam area, sucking it in ever so slightly. Trim and fit the panels carefully, the better they fit, the better the patch will turn out. keep the questions coming

do the master first

clothes line cord works good. Everything must be CLEAN. Like Dan Juday says, check the condition of the channel where the windshield sits. Fix any rust, hammer and dolly flat the seams, put a fresh coat of paint in there to hold down rust if you need to. spray everything down with a silicon spray first like WD40. Install the rubber onto the windshield (out of the car) The rubber has two channels (grooves) around it's length, one the windshield sits in, the other the metal windshield frame of the car body. Starting in the middle on the bottom put the cord up inside the second channel in the rubber. Use a paint stick or screwdriver or your finger to get it all the way up in there. Run the cord all the way around the windshield inside the rubber until it overlaps a few inches where you started. Place the windshield in the hole with the rubber on it. With a helper pressing gently from outside, holding the windshield in place with the rubber laying on the outside face of the metal windshield frame, climb inside the car. Grabbing one end of the cord gently pull. As you do the rubber flap pulls over the metal frame and comes to be inside the metal frame. Like Tagracer says, if you pull the rope and the rubber doesn't flap over the frame, like in the corners, stop and work it over with a screwdriver or hook. Be careful not to rip the rubber. Pull the cord out all the way around the windshield and it should all slip into position. If it doesn't, don't sit there fighting it, pull the whole thing back out, replace the cord in the rubber and start over. I'm better at working on cars then I am at explaining things to people using the written word but I hope this helps

Any of those strut inserts would only need revalved if they were being used for road racing. For the street they will be fine.

Jon: Let me guess, was the back window of the Toyota PU on the camping trip a slider? They were notoriously loose fitting. Those PUs were also notorious for flipping over in 4WD version w/ bigger tires so I did a few roofs on them as well and had a few that were so loose they damn near wanted to fall out. I'm still giggling here. Anyhow... you would not believe the way I've seen a few windshields installed. I had a friend, a glass guy with a LOT of experience. I watched him do a older dodge van once. It had a zipper style rubber similair to the Zcar but a round rubber zipper instead of the chrome trim. He installed the rubber onto the windshield without the zipper, lubed it up with WD40, carried it over and JAMMED the rubber down over the metal channel, then laid the windshield over in the hole and started slapping the corners down with his big o' palm (he was a big guy) I stood there cringing but it popped right in! We had a tool which was like a screwdriver but with a little loop on the end that was for installing the zipper. The butyl tape (dum dum we called it) was for the kind of windshield that doesn't have a rubber and the kind of chrome trim that clips onto the clips in the channel. They make a structural version of the urathane chaulk that a lot of more modern cars use to glue all the fixed windows in with. Similiar to the butyl tape but you just squeeze a big o' bead of it in the channel like the tape would be.

Jon: there is another meathod which may allow you to do it that way. It uses a piece of string. You would put the rubber on the windshield, install the trim into the rubber and then using a heavy cord (like clothes line) run the string around the windshield in the channel in the rubber where the windshield frame of the car body would go overlapping the ends a few inches. Lay the whole thing in the hole, then from inside the car you slowly pull the string out. As you do, the rubber flaps over the frame into postion on the inside. You pull the string out all the way around while a helper pushes gently from the outside. Hard to describe, do you get my drift? Anyhow, since wheelman's is already in, just use the meathod in the previous post

no, I'm certain the trim goes in after the windshield is installed. Some silicone spray will help wiggle it in. It's not easy, they were an unpopular style for this reason. Put the urathane goop in before the chrome trim. In this order: put windshield and rubber in, goop up with urathane, run it all the way around filling any gaps, then install trim pieces and clean up the excess urathane.

... a peek into the mind of a genius.

... a peek into the mind of a genius.

yeah but... the problem very likely (I'm no engineer either) is that the springs are just to short. You said they lower the car 3-4". You've lost most the suspension travel and no strut insert will change that. So... section the struts to regain back some travel or swap the springs.

maybe they were talking about the unibody itself?

um.... yeah the original question Yes, i've used a Millermatic 175 for years and LOVED IT!!! Great machines done

cygnusx1: The Tokico springs you have are stock diameter? There really is not a lot of room up in the spring towers for the stock springs to move. I doubt you'll be able to get much added camber by slotting the towers without changing springs.

Former paint and body guy here, 25 years. If you are going to use the stock rubber to reinstall the windshied (really the only way) you must, as Darrel says, use the chrome pieces. The rubber is fitted, the windshield is installed and then the chrome trim pieces inserted to tighten up the fit. The rubber will be to loose and always leak without them. A sealer type caulking should also be used to insure a water tight seal. Go to the auto paint supply house in your area and they will have a sealant specifically made for this application. It comes in tubes to be applied with a chalk gun and is urethane, black in color. Ask the counter person, tell them what you are doing. You'll need some solvent to get the excess goop off the car when you are done. (prep-sol or whatever won't hurt the paint)

You know, that occured to me and I forgot to check it last night. It is right in the vicinity of where the water went and the cover is... well... 28 years old. And it almost seems like an electronic cutting out of something, like how the tps works with the two contact points. Thanks man, I'll check it That seems less likely as the fusible links (that is what you meant right?) have brand new covers and are on the other side of the engine compartment. Thanks Cruez!